classic guitar

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

I've been a fan of finger-style artists, like Ed Gerhard, Lawrence Juber, Michael Hedges, etc. Wonderful stuff.

 

So I've been looking at other guitar styles. Mostly I am interested in solo guitarists playing melodic works.

 

I'd also be interested in hearing any good classical works, so long as it is solo guitar.

 

Recommendations?

 

Bill

[Guitar55]

Not a classical player...but Tommy Emmanuel is a great solo acoustic guitarist...you need to not only HEAR him, but to SEE him as well.

 

http://www.tommyemmanuel.com/tommy.htm

[Big Red 67]

The Segovia Collection

 

I think he is just awesome. I have listened to this since I was into the Rush stage. Think about a bunch of metal heads reaction when I would listen to this.

[A String]

This may be a bit obvious, but one of my favourite classical CDs is Bach: Lute Suites (Vol-1) by John Williams. The guitar playing is fantastic.

[alcohol_]

Manuel Barrueco is a fine classical guitarist.

 

Also he's done some interesting experimental work in recording duos with rock and jazz players on his Nylon and Steel CD. Players are Al Di Meola, Steve Morse and Andy Summers.

[Fingerstyle_Jim]

In case you missed my entry in the "Master Music Post Area 2005" thread I play solo fingerstyle, some classical. I've been a list-er here for several years but have only been able to semi-lurk for quite a while. Anyway, at my homepage you can hear the first minute of various works:

http://www.jimgraham.ca and download a couple of scores in tab and notation of some of my original music. You can hear/download entire songs at http://www.soundclick.com/bands/6/jimgrahammusic.htm including a live song recorded a few months ago. I also love rock and teach guitar and bass at a music school, it just isn't practical at the present time to be involved on a band level.

 

Cheers, Jim

[fantasticsound]

The "old standbys" that most classical students are familiar with are good places to begin.

 

Bach's Bouree (the Stairway To Heaven of classical guitar pieces. )

 

Villa-Lobos' 5 preludes.

 

Malagueña

 

There are others... one of which I can't.. quite.. remember.. the name of.

[Big Red 67]

I learned the Boree on bass for a presentation in school. I can't find the music now and I have forgotten one short passage in the meantime. It drives me nuts. I gotta find that.

[A String]

Originally posted by Big Red 67:

I learned the Boree on bass for a presentation in school. I can't find the music now and I have forgotten one short passage in the meantime. It drives me nuts. I gotta find that.

Just for you Red.

 

+--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+

e|--0--2---#|---3----2--0--------0--2--|-------------0-----------|

B|---------#|---------------4----------|--0----2--4-------3--1---|

G|---------#|*-------------------------|-------------------------|

D|---------#|*-------------------------|-------------------------|

A|---------#|--------0------2----0-----|-------------------------|

E|--3--2---#|---0----------------------|--3----2-----0----2------|

+--+ | | | | | | | |

 

 

 

| +--+ +--+ +--+ +---+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+

e|----------------------|--------------------0--2--|--3----2--0-------0--2--|

B|-0--------------------|-0------------------------|-------------4----------|

G|------2--0-------0--2-|----2--0------------------|------------------------|

D|------------4---------|-----------4--2-----------|------------------------|

A|------0-----2----0----|-------2------------------|-------0-----2----0-----|

E|-3--------------------|-3------------0--2--3--2--|--0---------------------|

| | | | | | +--+ +--+ | | | |

 

 

1

+---------------------------+

 

| +--+ | +--+ | +--+ +--+ +--+

e|-----------------------|---------------------|--------------------0--2---|#

B|--0----2--4--5----3--1-|--0------------------|---------------------------|#

G|-----------------------|------2--0---------0-|--0-----------------------*|#

D|-----------------------|------------4--------|--0-----------------------*|#

A|-----------------------|------3-----5---5----|--2------------------------|#

E|--3----2-----0----2----|--3------------------|--3-----------------3--2---|#

| | | | | | | | | +--+

oo

 

2

+------------------------+

+--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+

 

e|------------------------#|--------------------3----|--0--------------------|

B|------------------0-----#|---3-------1--0--------3-|----------3------------|

G|--0------------------0--#|*--2----2----------------|-------4-----5----4--2-|

D|--0---------------------#|*-------0----------------|------------------0----|

A|--2---------------------#|--------------------2----|--3--------------------|

E|--3---------------3-----#|---2----------3----------|-------4-----5---------|

| | | | | | | | | |

oo

 

 

oo

| +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+

 

e|-----------------------|-------------------------|-------3------0----------|

B|------------1----------|-------------------3-----|--0-------3-----------3--|

G|--1---2--4-------4--2--|-2--------------------2--|-------------------4-----|

D|--2---------2----------|-------------------0-----|-------------------------|

A|------0----------------|-0--2--0-----------------|-------2------3----------|

E|-----------------0-----|----------3--2-----------|--3----------------4-----|

| | | | +--+ +--+ | | | | | |

 

 

oo

| +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+

e|-------5--0-------------|------------------------|------------------7-----|

B|--1----------7-------5--|-------2-------------0--|-0-------------------7--|

G|------------------6-----|--7-------4--3----------|------------------------|

D|-------------0----------|-------2-----4----------|------------------------|

A|--0----4----------------|------------------------|-2--1--2--4--6----------|

E|------------------6-----|--7---------------2-----|------------------7-----|

| | | | | | | | +--+ +--+ |

 

 

| +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+ | +--+

e|-------------5-------3--|--2----0-----3----------|-------5--0--2-------0--|

B|--9----7--5-------5-----|----------3-------3--6--|--5---------------2-----|

G|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|

D|------------------------|--0---------------------|------------------------|

A|--7----5-----4----0-----|-------3-----2----------|--3----2-----0----------|

E|------------------------|------------------3-----|------------------2-----|

| | | | | | | | | | | |

 

 

| +--+ | | | |

e|-------------------0-----|--------------------------|

B|--4----0--------------0--|--1-----3-----0-----1-----|

G|-------------------------|-----------2-----------0--|

D|-------------------------|-----2--4--------1--2-----|

A|--2-------3--2--0--------|--0-----------------------|

E|-------------------4-----|--------------3-----------|

| +--+ +--+ | +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+

 

 

1

+-----------------------+

| +--+ | +--+

e|-------------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|#

B|-------------------------|------------------------|----------------0------|#

G|--2-----4----------------|-------------0----------|-------------------0--*|#

D|-----------4--5----4--2--|--1----2--4-------4--2--|--2-------------------*|#

A|-----4--6----------0-----|--2----0-----2----------|-----------------------|#

E|--2-----------0----------|------------------------|--0-------------3------|#

+--+ | | | | | | | oo +--+

 

2

+------------------------+

 

e|-----------------------#|

B|-----------------------#|

G|-----------------------#|

D|--2--------------------#|

A|-----------------------#|

E|--0--------------------#|

oo

[musicalhair]

Segovia's recordings of the Ponce Sonata's are really great.

 

Also, there are like three CD's of his early recordings from the late 20's and the 30's that I really like.

 

"The Artistry of Christopher Parkening" is a great record with his version of Ravel's "Empress of the Pagodas". Avoid his "Spanish" album.

 

Pepe Romero's "Flamenco!" mixes some solo classical guitar with "flamenco" styled guitar playing-- by a classical player, and since I'm not all that familiar with flamenco I can't say if he sounds all that authentic but his playing is really breath-taking. Of the Romero brother's he is considered the virtuoso, and Flamenco! was recorded back when he was younger. He has two records with that title though, the one with Recuerdos de Alahambra is the one you want recorded when he was young.

 

John Williams has recorded a lot of music, and he is really an amazing guitarist. His album "Spanish Guitar Music" is really good. "Spirit of the Guitar", "Latin American Guitar Music", The Black Decameron" "Guitar Recital" are all great John Williams recordings, but there are so many I can't speak for all of them.

 

John Williams can play just about anything really well, the Romeros excell at "Spanish Guitar" style but dont really play things like Bach or "Italian" style as well as others. Parkening can't really play spanish style, but excells at Bach, he doesn't really record "long form" peices (not that I've seen) and that is knock on him but apparently he has spent a considerable amount of time working out his "method" books. Williams tackles major "long form" works and really nails Brower and so many others.

 

Elliot Fisk is shocking. His Paganini's Caprices are just mind-boggling.

 

Michael Neuman is a great guitarist as is his wife Laura Oltman. They record as a duo, and their Albeniz transcriptions are really nice because as the music was written for piano, single guitar transcriptions of the music are not able to capture everthing the composer intended. His solo guitar music might not be so easy to find, and I've never seen any of hers.

 

Naxos puts out many affordable recordings of up-and-comeing classical guitarists as well as composer series where you can hear works that otherwise are rarely or never recorded but performed or should be performed or would otherwise be of use to students.

 

Eduardo Fernandez recorded a bunch of Legnani's etudes and a Funeral March by Sor that is really great.

[Gruupi]

Yes definately "The artistry of Christopher Parkening".

 

I also like Angel Romero and have recently discovered David Russel. Julian Bream is good also.

 

I am not as big a fan of John Williams or Segovia but that is just personal taste, they are both very gifted guitarists but I prefer the warmer tones of the guitarists I mentioned earlier.

 

Also if you haven't yet, track down Chet Atkins solo recordings. He was labeled a country artist but that is just because of his roots. He was an amazing all around musician and guitar player.

 

Another stylist is Leo Kottke. He plays solo steel string and 12 string.Sort of a bluegrass feel but don't limit him to this.

 

If you like jazz, try out Tuck Andress, another finger stylist that can do amazing things.

 

I have been playing alot of fingerstyle myself and scour the record stores for new material. I don't know what your budget is but I would at least buy cd's of the people I have mentioned here as a start. I am sure plenty of people will have more suggestions for you on this topic.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Originally posted by Gruupi:

Another stylist is Leo Kottke. ..

Yes, Leo is very cool. I jammed with him after a show in Pittsburgh many, many years ago. His guitars were some of the hardest to play that I have ever used. The action was just so very high, even on the 12 string. ouch!

 

Bill

[musicalhair]

Hey Gruppi, I have an Angel Romero tape from back when I was in college, have you checked out Pepe or the rest of the family? When I asked my teacher back in college what she thought about Angel, as I had just bought the tape and was trying to get hip to classical, she recommended Pepe as the monster guitarist of that family.

 

I wasn't all that hip to John Williams at first, I think he is like the "closest heir" to Segovia if that makes any sense-- and I don't want to sound like that is of a unique value but that in terms of interpretation and material and such. Parkening was my favorite for a long time but another teacher pointed out that "all he plays are minitures" and that he doesn't tackle like a three movement sonata or such things and she said that he has been performing essentially the same material most of his life. She granted that he might have not put the time into his own repertoire as he was working on his "method" and his students.

 

When she pointed that out and how Williams was her favorite guitarist because of his level of perfection, broad range of material, tackling the long forms and debuting many compositions, I checked him out more deeply and saw what she meant.

 

I don't really have a "favorite" guitarist and if I had to pick, I'd chose my own teachers from the past. To me, Williams isn't as easy to identify as others, but the range of things he plays is really impressive. Elliot Fisk might be my favorite, he covers a wide range of material, and consistently knocks me out more so than anyone else. Then it also comes down to "is it cool" for a guitarist to put their own stamp on everything they play or are they more supposed to be intrepeting the composer's intentions, and all the shades that fall between those two "extremes" that are really a combination of the guitart's knowledge, skill and taste. The more I hear peices played by multiple guitarists-- like Villa-Lobo's Choro no 1 or his etudes and preludes, the Albeniz material, Guiliani's Handel Variations (which are suddenly on many CD's), or some of the other "major repertoire" standards-- I see that there is so much more "interpreting" going on with every single note then I could imagine. It makes me feel good about some of the "choices" I've made even when I didn't realize they were "choices" at all.

 

I can't believe I left out Bream! I read something he said a long time ago, that every note has to have a reason to be played, every repeat has to have a good reason to be repeated, and that to ignore that or gloss over a repeat without playing it like you've got a real good reason to repeat it is just not good musicianship. Also, that if you're not making a mistake then your not pushing yourself and selling the audience short. Nothing is lamer than a completely safe performance.

 

Have you heard Parkening's spanish album?